Laura Griffin Designs

This was the latest project I made in my silversmithing class. The chain is made from 14 & 16-gauge sterling silver wire. All links are soldered closed with every other link made of twisted wire. The toggle was also hand-made by soldering jump rings to a piece of square wire (see picture below).

Quick instructions: To twist your own wire…simply cut a long piece of wire (approximately 4 times more than the end length you want) -fold in half & attach looped end to a hook connected to a hand drill or electric drill & the other two ends to a vice. Twist until you get the look you want.

It has taken me months to find a gallery program that I really like that was easy to install on my server & user-friendly to boot. I’m now a huge fan of ZenPhoto. True to its name – it is simple & clutter-free, but easy to customize as well.

You can check out my new gallery here. There are only a few pictures in each section. I will be uploading more in the future as I am able to scan in some of my older published designs that I am now able to show online. TFL.

Well – I finally made the project that I set out to do when I began silversmithing classes a couple of months ago. I have been wanting to combine silver & polymer clay for some time & am fascinated by how amazingly beautiful it can look when done right. Of course, this isn’t one of those examples. But it isn’t bad for a first effort, I guess. The design reminds me a bit of Mondrian.

Quick directions:
Fabricate the bezel from fine sterling silver & solder it to a 20-gauge sterling base. Saw out the shape, file it, & attach a handmade bail (from 22-gauge sterling). After polishing, add some polymer clay in earth tones, bake the piece, sand it & buff to a shine. Helpful hint: Use some Mica pearlescent clay in at least one panel of your design to add interest (see top right panel of pendant). The light will reflect off of it beautifully & add texture to your piece.

With a stroke of luck, I finished the sterling silver necklace I’ve been working on for the past 6 weeks in my final silversmithing class.

This piece was made entirely from sterling silver wire. It involved soldering 42 handmade jump rings to 21 strips of measured wire. The “dogbones” were formed to shape, then soldered together using larger jump rings as a connectors. The back side of the necklace (not visible in this picture) contains a handmade chain & clasp.

I have to say that I was a bit nervous getting started (I mean the thought of me coordinating a torch in one hand & solder in the other can be frightening!), but it really ended up being a lot of fun. Suzy at the Craft Guild of Dallas has been a great teacher, and I’m hoping to stay involved in this new hobby. Thanks for looking!

Tonight was the last session of my beginner fabrication (silversmithing) class & I was able to complete one more piece of jewelry. A week ago, I picked up a wonderful stone cabachon at a local gem/bead store, the Rock Barrell. The stone is called “painted jasper”, and this particular cabachon had such a unique & beautiful line that it had to leave with me! I think it really does look like a painting too!

Here are the quick instructions on how to make this pendant: Measure & solder a piece of fine silver bezel wire to a piece of 20-gauge sterling. Saw around the bezel wire & file. Create a bail from 22-gauge sterling & solder it to the top of your first piece. Once the stone is set, shine the silver and you’ll get something that looks like this! I’ve so enjoyed learning about silversmithing that I’ve signed up for another session. It will begin in two weeks.